A Forlorn Hope
by Silverwing013
Summary: The Forlorn Hope is made a forlorn hope when there is no one to share the hope. Quote by Himiharu, creator, as read by Shuichi Minamino.
1. Laugh

_Silverwing013: Warning! Darker side of author approaching! Take heed! It never did belong to this author but for now...it is in my hands. Walk onward with direct care to the burning coals beneath your open hearts readers. Treading through life never is easy at some point on the path._

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Reviews For: A Forlorn Hope

What2callmyself  
Shot! O.O! Hell yes! I love the story! The length! The detail! faint It nicely shows a peak into Kurama's mind as a very good and a very bad little boy. I like what you have done so far and I am very curious as to what happens now with the changed storyline. SO with that, please please please update son!

Niana Kuonji  
He's playing the wicked fox here. Ooh, this should be interesting! Feels mildly sorry for Hiei, but knows he'll figure out how to pay Kurama back

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**Laugh**

The new boy. The outcast. The mystery. The interest. The gossip. The rich boy. The one everyone was talking about.

Shuichi Minamino heard the words whispered up and down the hallways, not participating but listening all the same for the knowledge spreading like a cancer form around him.

The curiosity's namesake being thrown around the crowded noisy hallways was Japan's most feared child and yet no one ever knew enough about. True, they knew plenty of the sister, twin of the brother. She had been kidnapped only a little while ago, police happy when she appeared just as suddenly as she disappeared, not truly knowing how she came to be back. A happy, naive, kind, simple girl; she enjoyed the pleasures thrown upon her blue dyed hair from her rich parents. Her brother had a much darker past, highly more secretive in his nature, giving the press a high praise on if they could ever see a single toe nail clipping from him. Rumors had flooded teen magazines for many times, him not going to the press to agree or disagree with their statements, but the rumors simply flourished as to hope to hit an iron nail right on in the brother's mysterious activities.

Shuichi Minamino could care less.

It wasn't his business to get involved in this matter. Curiosity pounded over his senses but he sat down in an empty classroom, quite early for a student, pulling out a reading book from his back pocket. Shakespeare. Hamlet in fact. The teacher nodded at the early student as he walked inside the classroom, retrieving last week's papers on Romeo and Juliet. A ridiculously simple play on a recurring factor in books that the early student found a tad annoying. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, danger strikes, and a lesson is learned from their love. All happening in a few days inside this play. Shuichi Minamino continued onward with Hamlet, nearly done with the book due in two weeks time from now.

Students piled inside the room in gabbing groups, words passing from their mouths on this new boy. Shuichi Minamino continued onward with Hamlet, grateful and thanking the god above that fan girls and guys were not pestering him as usual with his unnatural female appearance they were attracted to like an insect to the flickering light. The room slowly settled down of the continuous teenager movement going about the room, becoming quiet as the teacher said good morning to the class. Closing and placing his book down, Shuichi Minamino answered with the rest of the class, finding why the classroom had become quiet for once when this teacher moved to the front of the classroom.

The blackboard announced, "New Student".

No wonder they were silenced. He glanced carefully about the room, finding no one new inside of it. Just at the moment he was to discard this new boy from coming, the door slid open. He adverted his eyes quickly, finding everyone around him standing up to see the new boy. He hated that kind of attention. For a moment, Shuichi Minamino almost felt sorry for this new boy. He hated that kind of attention. But, he couldn't really feel emotion for this boy at the moment. For Shuichi Minamino was plotting. His mother was withering away inside the local general hospital of something even their own doctors could not solve. There was a particular time a few scarce months ago where she became drastically worse in her condition, doctors and him under the frightening belief that she would die. He could solve it. It would risk everything in his life that he had accomplished so far but he was the only one who could solve this particular problem.

Problem was that his mother had a time limit to her lifeline. Her shortened lifeline.

Funny thing was that no one knew. He found this amusing somehow, the fact that not one single soul knew the fact that his mother was dieing away almost hilarious. Because everyone was up in everyone else's business, even more so in his own. It was rather sadistic that he thought this funny. But the fact of his mother dieing away in that hospital blank room upon it's bed stung badly inside of him, it was hard to find a simple joy in anything the last few months time, so perhaps this hilarity found in his mother's death was a way to release that feeling. Although, the feeling had yet to come to his delicate features.

The teacher's voice interrupted Shuichi Minamino's inner musings, introducing the new student as not the new boy but the new girl. The sister of the twins. The excitement of hoping for the male of the twins died down slightly, though many a student persuaded the new girl to seat near them. The new girl passed by Shuichi Minamino and the rest of the front row, blur of the school's uniform and her turquoise blue hair going past as she sat second row to the back with several of the popular girls inside the school system. The girls eagerly talking to the new girl as they pointed out whom she should and shouldn't speak to in their class. He felt fingers pointing at his back as he sat in the front and knew with dreading certainty that there was to be a new member of the 'Shuichi Minamino Fan Club' by the end of today. As if he needed another problem or irritation in the day.

The teacher attempted to gain the classroom's short attention spans, marking the start of another beautiful school day.

The class's attention was limited, proving to the teacher that he should probably move back the due date of Hamlet with the new girl's appearance inside their school, but he refrained from doing so. Class ended without much progress, kids streaming out the door in mobs around the new girl. Shuichi Minamino went through his schedule for the rest of the day, keeping away from the mobs. Personal space was much appreciated when girls gave him few chances to do so. Bell sounded off throughout the building, calling out the lunchtime hour. He quickly made his way through the line, ducking inside the soft wooden encasing high top shelves of the intricate library when he finished off the school's food. He was beginning to miss his mother's cooking she used to make for him in the morning. Shuichi Minamino was very able to make and prepare food himself but there was something added to it if his mother had given it to him in the mornings.

His fingers trailed over the shelves, picking out a book titled Kitsune Lore to try to break himself from thoughts of his mother being in the hospital. Flipping between the cover, his eyes skimmed over a story that his hand had stopped on, finding it to be a tale of the King of Thieves, Yoko Kurama and the Bounty Hunter. He frowned of a slight upon his face, snapping the book shut. The kitsune had died. Slipping the book back, his eyes roved across the expanse row of books before him, looking for one that would at least give him a slightly better mood or idea how to help his mother. His eyes caught sight of a small book pushed behind the one he himself had just pulled out. Curiosity reigned over him this time, unlike with the new student, hand carefully getting the book out from the back of the shelf to see what had been shoved behind the others.

"Woes of Souls Told From the Forlorn Hope," his lips read the faded cover silently.

Woes of souls fit too much entirely with his mood already; he placed the book back in the line up among the others, eyes already searching for a more humorous piece if he could. Fingers reached up to the shelf again, curiosity breached again as he spotted one merely titled with Koorime. He placed the book back, thinking that perhaps, the mythological shelf wasn't the best way to cheer him up as someone tapped on his hand. He turned, eyes noticing the student for the first time, her sweet light blue hair framing her face in a border around those very warm cinnamon eyes peering friendly up at him. Blinking he came to the realization of why this girl had tapped his hand as opposed to his shoulder. She was, for lack of a better choice of words, vertically challenged. The school's uniform just swam over her small body with no protests, a black tank top that had surely came from a male made good use under her shirt to hide any bra straps or in showing too much skin. A thin black belt wrapped easily around her small waist to hold up the red skirt that fell down close to her ankles, making the traditional short uniform look long on her legs, but Shuichi Minamino decided he liked the long look better fore it suited this girl quite well. Forgetting all past troubles with his search in the library, he smiled warmly at her before turning away, attention back on the shelf of books already. It was the new girl. No doubt the other fan girls had placed her up to this, knowing that he treated everyone kindly.

Her hesitant voice found voice soon enough however, "...erm... Hello? I was wondering if you could...help me?"

Shuichi Minamino paused in his search for a more reliable book, nearly sighing as he could here the words, 'Could you show me around?' come from her mouth as an answer. As kind as he was, he disliked showing a girl around even if they were new. The other fan girls would point as they saw 'kind' Shuichi Minamino helping the new girl out, new strengthened belief in that they had a chance with him. He'd rather go through his day with less attention because he's had enough attention to last him a lifetime. However, despite what thoughts ran through his head, he turned to the new girl, giving her another small smile to prove that he was kind and wouldn't bit her head off like other male teenagers. Perhaps her word gaps would disappear or become farther as a typical fan girl blush would grace her cheeks. But she did neither.

"I was wondering...if you could show me...back to my locker...at least? I think I can find my way around if you...can show me back? I'd ask one of those...other girls...but I seem to have...lost...them?"

Why did everything she say sound like she was questioning herself? Shuichi Minamino frowned a tad at her reluctance to ask him for the help. It was like she was frightened of him somehow. As soon as he thought this, her fidgeting before him seemed more pronounced. He glanced about the library; fully looking at whom else was in the library with him, taking silent notes. Mister Takibana the male librarian of the two, Kaito a fellow classmate that was number two in class rankings, a small group of guys nearby looking all too interested inside a book that Shuichi Minamino would nearly guarantee was as the school defined as 'inappropriate' (no wonder a innocent looking girl like herself didn't wander over like a lost doe to ask them for help, a couple of the boys looked over at her like they were undressing her openly in their mind's eye). "Sure. I'll help you back to your locker." He briefly sighed inside his head. There goes his small sanction of time for himself today and more attention than usual.

The girl smiled up at him gladly. "Thank you. Normally...I wouldn't bother anyone...much. But...brother...couldn't make it today...or I'd just...ask him. And...and they pulled back...the guard...for today...and I do hope...with the other girls kind words...you will only help?"

There she went again, Shuichi Minamino thought irritably as she ended with a question once more. He smiled briefly at the new girl, leading her through the tall shelves of books to the exit of the library. "Follow quickly and perhaps we'll miss the crowds from the lunchroom," he traveled his way quickly down the stream of hallways, easily finding his way as she rushed along behind him through the dead silent pale whiteness of the school at this time. He strolled past two large open doors a tad faster than before and she quickened her pace to a run as he did so, a fierce blare of noise coming from the two doors. She slowed before completely passing the doorway to see new classmates chatting, laughing, tossing objects every so often across the cafe. "You coming along well? The bell will ring soon, don't linger please or the pandemonium will overtake a single person alone in the hallway," he called over his shoulder as he made another turn down another look alike long hallway. She speed up behind him as the bell sounded from overhead, pounding of the floor was felt through her running feet from the mob she could very much hear behind her. Panicked, she attempted to run faster behind her helping hand, glancing behind to see students covering the whole base of the hallway behind her and slipped forward as she stepped on top a pencil lying innocently on the white tile below her. Shuichi Minamino checked to she if she was keeping up the very moment she stepped, his warning call coming out too late for the new girl as she fell plum on her rear. She turned, fearful eyes seeing the group still stampeding toward her, not having noticed the girl lying on the floor due to talking to their partners beside them.

"Stop? Stop," she said more forcibly as the crowd descended upon her trying to scoot over to the side of the starching white hallway.

Inches away, a force tugged her away from the imposing doom, carrying her safely inside a now empty classroom save for the jerk on the way past the door. Green eyes looked down at her, "You should really watch where you're going." He stood up, straightening before the new girl. She looked up at him, in a bemused sort of way, blinking at him curiously. Slowly realizing she was starring, she darted her eyes away from the red head before her. He sighed, knowing if she wasn't a fan girl before, she was now. Alas, Shuichi could not leave well enough alone when he probably should at this point of realizing the riveting power of his beauty alone. "Listen, I've got a self study class next. I'll take a few minutes to show you a safer way to your locker and explain things with your next teacher. They'll understand." The new girl nodded more shyly than before at him, rising up from her seat on the floor.

"Thank you," she bowed before him most gratefully. "But...I don't even know...your na--oh!" She cried it out in soft surprise as she noticed a straight dark line on the shoulder of his uniform. "Your hurt." She raised her hands up to touch the injury gently, he letting her for a few seconds before taking her hands away from the spot, stepping away with a pleasant smile.

"It's fine. I'm used to it." Inside he was grumbling madly as he could picture the fan girls noticing the smallest of injuries in his next group class, fawning over him, then somehow finding out he had done it in good cause in saving the new girl, making their raining compliments over his head to create a migraine. Joy. Why did his god above want him to suffer so? Did his god find this funny at all or one bit? Or was it just him?

"Let me look at it," she said politely but forcibly. Shuichi blinked at her sudden certain tones and she blushed slightly at his reaction. "Brother…says the same thing on…his injuries." He shrugged at her, pulling up his sleeve so that she could properly look at it. "I'll…I'll need some cold water."

Shuichi glanced about the room, chuckling. "It seems perhaps, that my god likes me more than I thought." She blinked her cinnamon eyes at him, frowning slightly as she started to open her mouth. "I mean," he interrupted with a shrug toward the room around them, "we _are_ in the chemistry room." Her face immediately flushed up, taking her eyes off of him.

"I…I'm sorry. I…don't like you…in that way. Your…nice…and all…but I just don't…. Why are you…laughing?"

For Shuichi Minamino reeled backwards, sleeve still pushed up past his shoulder as he gripped at his stomach, peals of laughter ripping from his throat, tears running down his face. He took gasping breaths as he tried to stop the laughter, tears running farther down his reddened cheeks. The girl looked on in confusion as he continued laughing. Shuichi pushed himself up from the floor, making attempts on steadying his breath but saw her face and the laughter broke clean again. Finally after minutes of laughter, he seemed to catch his breath.

"Oh…that hurts," he said with the still smile on his face, eyes still tearing up. He rubbed his stomach sorely. "Most apologies miss. I haven't had a laugh in a good clean while with my…. Perhaps my god was listening when I was looking for a good book to cheer myself up," he grinned madly at the confused girl and let out another burst of laughter. "There are water faucets over at the counter."

She glanced over at the counter, then back at Shuichi sitting on the floor rubbing his stomach sorely again, then she blushed slightly with her mistake, sweet laughter of her own came tinkling out. "Sorry," she apologized with a pleasant smile. She took another look at the red head sitting on the floor with a smile, and then headed off to the sink to turn the tab marked blue for cold water. Using a paper towel to soak up the amount of cold water she wanted, she turned back to help the boy that had helped her.

He was starring out toward the window about ten feet from him, a relaxed smile on his face as he kept his green eyes upon the window. Both lean arms placed behind him as he leaned back on them comfortably; one leg resting along the floor while the other was bent slightly at the knee. He appeared so at peace with himself that the new girl had paused in her nursing duties to indulge her hero boy. He suddenly turned his head swiftly at her, smile twitching the corner of his lip. She smiled before kneeling next to his shoulder, dabbing at the red line across his shoulder.

"If I may…?" She paused as he looked up at her. "What is…causing you to have such a…long face?"

He turned his face back toward the window, mouth becoming drawn back down again from the sparse moment of joy.

"Oh," she focused her attention back on the scratch. Making sure his attention was out the window; she placed her hand gently over the mark, closing her eyes in concentration as she willed it to heal. He let out a small gasp, rotating his head back to where her hand lay, looking at her curiously. She smiled at his face. "Finished," she pronounced. "It wasn't deep at all…so all is fine." She took her other hand to pull the sleeve back down, removing her hand covering the wound when his green eyes couldn't see it past the sleeve. Convenient.

"Thank you," he said evenly, standing up to brush himself off, he walked over to the door. "Coast is clear. I can head you over to your locker without fuss now. What class do you have now?"

"Uh…Health class I think," she followed him quickly out the door, easily spotting her locker G77 nearby. "There's my locker. …17…37…07…. There," she twisted open the locker, being glad that the locker combination was so easy to remember at this new school. Reaching up on tiptoe, she stretched a hand upwards inside her locker, feeling around for the book she couldn't see. The book magically appeared in front of her face and she blinked rapidly at it as her hand continued the unnecessary book search.

Green eyes came out from behind the book; the red head had taken it from her locker for her. "Perhaps you should ask the office for a bottom locker," he suggested.

"Th-thank you," she stammered slightly for the first real time today. She finally dropped the searching hand, taking the health book from him.

"It is not a huge deal," he answered to her words of kindness, turning to walk down the hallway once more. "After you healed me for such a small scratch." His head turned back as he continued walking to see her small-embarrassed smile. "Come. I'll explain to Mister Endo a reason on why you are late for class."

She closed her locker quietly, following after the red head leading her a few doors down the hallway. "Here you are miss," he smiled down at her, opening the door to let her inside first.

"Ah! Miss Tsuin!" Bellowed a voice from the classroom. "How kind of you to finally join the…. Hello Mister Minamino," the teacher greeted quite a tad nicer as the red head followed in behind the smaller girl. The red head smiled and nodded at the older teacher, trying to pay no mind to the fan girls cooing at him entering after the new girl.

"My apologies Mister Endo," he apologized, sounding sincere. "I escorted young Miss Tsuin to class after lunch with the rush coming from the café."

"Ah, ah," the teacher rubbed at his little bearded chin thoughtfully. "I see…. I will let Miss Tsuin off today considering it is her first day here and her guard isn't here."

"I'm sorry," the girl spoke up from her seat, looking apologetic. "I'll ask about that…with him…. And I will see…if my brother…will be able to come…tomorrow…to class."

The teacher looked away from the red head, glancing at the new girl in interest. "Quite alright. Please see if Mister Tsuin will come to class. I've seen that he usually has a superb attendance record. Even if his behavior is doesn't seem to look on the brightest of any side."

She froze slightly in her seat and a look passed for a millisecond that didn't seem to fit her sweet face. Hatred. "Brother is not judged fairly Mister Endo."

He nodded at her. "I'll make up my own mind when he comes to my class Miss Tsuin. A little sweet looking girl like yourself doesn't need to worry about such things."

The red head looked at the new girl in faint curiosity as she clenched the sides of her desk at these words for a few seconds, then his mind flew across the rumor databank that he had heard about the new girl. That's right, Shuichi Minamino thought, she's been kidnapped before and no one knows how she came to be back. The teacher talking down at her would send off nerves. "Good day Mister Endo. I'll escort Miss Tsuin to her next class today if necessary."

The new girl's eyes lightened up at his words, but faded back at the reply.

"I'm sure someone in this classroom will be happy to do that Mister Minamino. We don't need another fawning fan girl now do we? It gets tiring for an old man like myself to hold down on young teenagers lust emotions. And I'm sure you have someplace to be tonight, am I right?"

The red head narrowed his eyes slightly at the teacher, but smiled at Mister Endo. "Right," he answered somewhat tensely. "I've got a self class project to show to Mrs. Kyoto now. Pardon me." He closed the door quietly behind himself, letting his emotions fully undertake him as he stood in the deserted hallway.

How would Mister Endo know about him visiting his mother after school everyday when no one else knew? And bring it up like that? I've figured there was something odd about him before but this only clarifies it. He shook his head. Perhaps he has a family member himself at the general hospital, he tried to reassure himself. It was nothing. Speaking of nothing…. Shuichi pulled his sleeve back up over his lean arm, gazing at the scratch. Or should he say, the lack of a scratch. Human systems do not heal this fast. That girl is more than what she seems. I'll have to keep an eye on this new girl.

Inside the classroom, the new girl paid little attention to Mister Endo, thinking back on the red headed boy that had helped her out. Why did he wear such grim lines across his face so much? Why did he seem so sad, so worried, and tense? And what did Mister Endo say exactly to set the red head off from his normal face politeness?

Fwap!

Her turquoise blue head snapped up in attention as the ruler hit her desk. "Yes…? Mister Endo?"

"The answer to the question Miss Tsuin is breast feeding." Starring blankly at him, she felt her face redden up again as several classmates snickered. "It was a simple question of the natural way for a mother to feed a child."

"Oh. Sorry Mister Endo. My mind…was elsewhere…." She trailed off as she saw the red head's grim face starring out the window from before in the chemistry room. So sad, she thought. What bothers him so? But she blinked suddenly as Mister Endo squatted in front of her desk.

"Shuichi Minamino is not to be tampered with," he whispered fiercely so that she could barely hear him. "Especially not from you ice girl."

Mister Endo stood up, strolling over across to the board. "Now that we have everyone's attention from Mister Minamino being in here," he glared at all the girls that sighed. "Let's move on with the lesson."

He knows? She simply starred at the man teaching without really paying attention, nothing entering through her ears. But then her next thought was, it seems he doesn't want to hurt me about it, that nice red head seems to be the one he wants to hurt. No wonder he looked tense about what Mister Endo said.

Brother will have to be told about this Mister Endo.


	2. Heartache

_Silverwing013: Warning! Darker side of author approaching! Take heed! It never did belong to this author but for now...it is in my hands. Walk onward with direct care to the burning coals beneath your open hearts readers. Treading through life never is easy at some point on the path._

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**Heartache**

"Shuichi," came a firm voice to his side.

The red head ignored the voice for a while, intent on gazing down at his sleeping mother. She lay in the hospital bed and he could do nothing, nothing at all to help, even though she said the love of a son healed her heart over before she passed from this world. He closed his eyes quickly. "Mother," he said clenching her sweaty palm in his as he sat next to the bed. His love wasn't enough, even after all these years…. She was still going to die from this. Pass out of his life. Then what would be holding his peace of mind down? She was his steady anchor, keeping him from loosing control of the navy boat sailing over the ocean's ever-blue water. He could already feel the lost feeling taking control. A feeling that had nearly killed his spirit the first time around….

"Shuichi? Are you alright?"

He finally looked up at the speaker, smiling for their relief. "Yes, quite…alright."

"No, your not alright," the speaker reprimanded him. "Such a brave face you put on for Shiori," a grim smile was made. "You've been here for a couple hours already. Why not go finish some of your hom—"

"Finished." Shuichi cut the question off shortly.

The middle aged man smiled at the slight sharpness the boy put into the answer and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as the teen realized that he had been sharp with the older man, his face paling with the realization.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude," he apologized quickly.

"Listen," the man said, "we've both been worried about her for a while now. Why not you let me burden the stress for a minute with her? I'm sure one needs to go to the restroom or get something to eat or drink. Even if it is for a second."

"No," the boy smiled slightly at the elder man. This man was perfect for his mother after what happened to her first husband. It was a pity that neither of the two would be able to spend a lifetime together. This man had already experienced the lost of his first wife as well and would be now losing another woman in his life. When they first sat in the hours together inside the hospital room, they had chatted about a few subjects, not knowing how the lady laying in the bed would truly be affected by what the doctors could (or should he say, couldn't) figure out. This man had already lost his own mother about five years ago now, which probably made watching Shuichi Minamino's mother twice as hard with both these loses behind him in just a matter of years.

"Please, take a break. Shiori wouldn't want either of us to take so much out of our own lives. Besides, I'll be getting you to head home tonight."

The red head shook his head sadly. "And what would I do? Hang out with fan girls?" He smiled bitterly. "Or perhaps I would watch the mind droning television?"

"There is always the news Shuichi," the man suggested.

Shuichi Minamino put the bitter smile back on, looking back at his mother. He remembered the hours after finishing homework, before all this had happened. How he and his mother would always spend the time to sit down and watch the news together. Laughing over the humorous pieces, staring in horror as such events as the American's 9/11 or bombings in England happened, or making bets just to boast at the other if they won on if the newscasters would get the weather right for that weekend. And if for some reason or the other they couldn't watch it together, they'd call or talk about it later with the other of the events on the news on channel 7.

Man, he missed those times.

"It'll be alright Shuichi," the man told him as the red head looked back up at the elder man.

"No," he shook his head with an aged knowing bitter look. "It'll never be alright. What is worse than watching one's mother die before their eyes, nothing at all to do to help save the one's mother from that fate?" He stood up, walking out the hospital doorway as the middle aged man looked at the young teen in a look of faint shook. "I'll be in the café. Call me back up here if anything changes."

"I'll do that," the man told him.

"Even watching Kuronue die wasn't nearly as bad as this. Knowing that there's all this time to help but nothing to help her. If Kuronue had more time than given, we would have passed that hurdle easily. But this," his eyes narrowed as he continued muttering to himself, "is worse."

"Good afternoon Shuichi dear," greeted a nurse walking past him. "How are you doing today?"

Do you want to know? Do you truly want to know? No one truly wants to know about it because they don't want to deal with those types of feelings. They all hope for the positive answer, not wanting to face the realization that there is a negative in the world. After all, why think about the dark nighttime on the other side of the world when it's sunny and bright here? And when it is storming here, why dread the thought of it storming for the rest of the day? It's always, look on the bright side. With Shuichi Minamino, he knew it better to think on the reasonable side of things. His mother was going to die. How do people expect him to feel? Peachy?

Pah'! Peachy…. I'll show them peachy when the time comes…. He smiled pleasantly at the nurse, "Just fine nurse Takanori."

"That sounds good then. Oh…! That hooligan's at it again! Pardon me Shuichi dear, that's a dear," the nurse politely moved Shuichi Minamino off to the side of the hallway as she opened her mouth to yell at a young boy racing down the long hallways. "Mister Tsuin! Get back inside your room!"

The hospital-clad boy flew past the nurse, black hair streaming upwards as he dashed his way out of reach from Takanori's hands. But he hadn't come across the red headed boy off to the side before, not taking him in as a factor in his escape plans. Shuichi timed the boy's running, eyes narrowing at the arm at the boy's side as his slim fingers grasped a hold on the boy's forearm. "Keep your dirty hands off of me!"

Shuichi Minamino gazed with green eyes down at the more vibrant red eyes glaring up at him as the name the nurse used registered inside his mind. This boy is the same height as that new girl at school that caused me to laugh today…. The same eyes, but more feline shaped, more of a dangerous red tint to it. And what was with the bandana wrapped around his forehead? Fashion statement? Gang signature? For this boy simply screamed the words, "leave me alone," across every cell upon his face like a large print book.

"Tsuin?" The much taller red head asked down at the shorter boy, coming to the realization that perhaps his hair stood up like that on purpose and wasn't just from running down the hallway.

The boy glared harder up at the red head, crossing his arms across the pale diamond patterned hospital gown. A temporary cast deemed its way over this young boy's left leg and Shuichi Minamino became curious as to how the boy could run so well…. "Yes? What's it to you?" A sharp tone dictated this shortened boy's vocal patterns. The red head blinked. Maybe he was wrong….

"Nevermind, perhaps it was just the same last name. Pardon me nurse Takanori," Shuichi Minamino smiled politely, letting loose the shorter boy's arm as he walked his way back down the hallway.

Shuichi Minamino sighed out loud, pressing the down button for the elevator and waited for the door to ding open. If only, if only there was some way he could help nurse his mother back to health. He'd been studying his herbs for as long as he could remember. No herb could help with this. Perhaps he should look inside his other talent to see the possibilities. But something that could be that powerful…it was doubtful even he wouldn't be caught. His mother would be so disappointed in him….

The elevator dinged into his thoughts loudly and abruptly, a doctor strolling out as he greeted Shuichi Minamino on the way. Nodding in a greeting answer, Shuichi Minamino easily strolled his own way inside the now empty elevator. Hm, the elevator was empty. That was an odd happening at this hospital, he thought mildly. And an odd thing that would never happen for him fore there was a blur of black rushing inside as the elevator dinged for it's decent downwards. Crimson eyes beamed up at him with the danger glint well past reaching.

"Pardon me," Shuichi spoke after a while. "Aren't you supposed to be up with nurse Takanori resting that leg of yours?"

"Don't play with me," the boy snapped back. "How do you know the name Tsuin?"

Shuichi Minamino stiffened, glancing up at the lights above to see it flash down to level four. Just think, only a few more levels to go before the awaiting café would be reached of its general made hospital food to enter inside his mouth down to the red head's stomach. And Shuichi was beginning to think that the hospital food would be better than the air this boy was steaming off around his fluffed up, spiked up, pointed up black haired head and height lacking body. "Miss Tsuin is a fellow classmate of mine. She came today. Why?"

"I said, don't toy with me!" The boy made a motion of a trained samurai as if to whip out a sword from his waist but found only air. He looked downward at the missing item. "Damn!" He cursed out loud. "She never understands why I need that…."

Shuichi Minamino chanced a glance upwards to see the floor level now reaching level two. One more level, he thought inside his head. One more level with an insane boy in an area of close quarters and not a single item of help unless he pulled out his ace from within his thick red hair. Did his god above really want to see him suffer today? He looked back down at the boy, eyes widening slightly without him permitting it before he forced them back to their normal calm and in charge look he wore for the world around him. The answer was yes; his god above must truly want him to suffer.

The boy had somehow managed off the hospital gown, the red head actually praising his god at this moment because the insane boy at least had black pants on underneath with a thin black belt to hold them up. But then again, this boy was not insane. If anyone was insane, it was Shuichi Minamino for thinking that this boy was insane. This boy was a threat. Threaten to harm him, his one family member left, his reputation he had produced and derived over the last fifteen years for his own protection and for the love of his mother. Shuichi Minamino eyed what others would take for a tattoo precariously, with obvious care of this boy's body movements for any warning of the attack to take place. Then he relaxed, smiling almost.

"No need to worry Mister Tsuin, if that is your real name. I have no desire to kidnap Miss Tsuin. And I give you my regards. I'd feel sorry to be under probation of the Child King even if it is a rare thing within itself," Shuichi Minamino shifted his head to the elevator door as the shorter boy before him seemed suddenly off a notch in what was going on around him, looking at the taller red head with confusion. Knowing that this boy was thoroughly under the knowing right at the moment, Shuichi smiled briefly. "Pardon me Mister Tsuin. This delicious hospital food I've been living off of the past year calls for me."

"Don't give me that human crap!" The boy stood right in the direct path of Shuichi. "Pardon me…." The boy mocked Shuichi Minamino's words in an angry mutter. "Who are you really?"

"Really? I'm a teenage boy whose mother is in a hospital and am simply waiting for either her death to pass or for her immune system to pass over this." Shuichi narrowed his green eyes at the shorter boy. "Or do people around the hospital enjoy bringing this up every day?" He bee lined his way straight past the once more confused boy, nodding once to a group of passing nurses with a more tightened smile at them as they asked him how his mother was doing of that day.

The shorter boy narrowed his own catlike eyes at the backside of the red head, creating the mental link of remembering this red head for future reference when the hospital and his charge would let him do his job tomorrow. His injured leg from that fight did not need to be looked over anyway from some human hospital. But those mind numbing idiots had insisted with his charge that he go to the hospital the first day so that he seemed to fit the description that he had been given, a boy with an attitude that got in one too many fights. Besides, they thought that his charge would be safe the first day because it was the first day. That was the most idiotic thing he had ever heard in his existence.


	3. Distrust

_Silverwing013: Warning! Darker side of author approaching! Take heed! It never did belong to this author but for now...it is in my hands. Walk onward with direct care to the burning coals beneath your open hearts readers. Treading through life never is easy at some point on the path._

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**Distrust **

Shuichi Minamino sat reading at his desk once more, one hand holding up the book in question, the other in his pocket as it toyed around with the small grass blade inside of it. He sighed. Just another perfect day as the perfect student in the perfect school. Not at all like yesterday. Perhaps he should scan the library today to look up on some old treasures that may be of some assistance shall it come down to him having to retreat back to his old skills.

Philosopher's Stone was not a choice for him. That one was created and disappeared in the early 1900's in England by what legend claimed to be made by Elric, the human tin can. Other choices that were more likely were such things as the Burning Sunstone, better known as to the elite few as Kuronue's pendent; the Toggle Cloth; the Forlorn Hope; the Goddess's Cloak; or perhaps the scared three spouted lamp that was called by the ingenious name of The Three Wise Men.

The door slid open to a group of gaggling girls surrounding the quiet new girl and simply drooling over some black head, Shuichi couldn't really see who it was as he peered up. He went back to his book without question though. The fan girls were not bothering him, why should he cause them to bother him once more? They had obviously found a new 'pretty boy' to follow around like lost kittens, he really could not draw attention to himself even if he felt a tad sorry for this boy they were drooling on top of.

So, back to his mother. The Burning Sunstone would be too personal to use for his mother as well as difficult as the thing would probably remember how he used to be. The Toggle Cloth he knew quite well to be under Mukuro's hands last he knew, a Demon Lord, so it's uses had been altered to cover Mukuro's true identity. The Forlorn Hope was directly inside the Spirit World treasure vault and not one thief has ever been able to penetrate that. The Goddess's Cloak had disappeared some time ago; a flimsy rumor had it that it was being held at a shrine in Tokyo. The Three Wise Men was a questionable bet inside itself with three old souls tied inside the lamp itself, each one unpredictable as a tiger thrown into the Dead Sea.

The question to answer would be which would Shuichi Minamino be able to actually use in the first place to save his mother's life. Burning Sunstone was a choice, while the Toggle Cloth would be no use to him now, Forlorn Hope would be perfect because his most objective hope at the moment would be his mother's health and happiness, the Goddess's Cloak was told to only work for a rare few, and the Three Wise Men was completely out of question. So it seemed it was either unburying Kuronue's body from under that great limestone slice of rock down in an unreachable world, or racing up to another unreachable world to take the Forlorn Hope. Perhaps research was to be called forth for a few days to see which choice would be the better of the two. And then he could—

Swiftly, Shuichi Minamino turned as a soft tap on his shoulder reached his attention. Cinnamon eyes smiled down upon him from under loose turquoise bangs from what was not pulled back to a nice simple and single braid. He smiled at her briefly in greeting. "Good morning Miss Tsuin."

"I…wanted to thank…you from yesterday…since my guar-- I mean…my brother was not here…yesterday." Her small smile wavered as if unsure on how to thank him, question remaining in her voice as it did the day before. Eyes glanced back over to the small group of girls fussing over the top of a black head, the black head steering its way out of the female fan maze with almost a type of ease that Shuichi Minamino would expect from years of practice. Of course, it could be years of avoiding _people_ itself, he thought as he saw the boy from the hospital from the night before.

"You," the boy's same sharp tones ruled over his vocal cords down to a hiss that seemed impossible for a word without any s's to hiss over in the first place. Oh this boy was a piece of work, Shuichi Minamino knew at once even without the aid of meeting him once before. He smiled warmly at the dark boy sending daggers through his skin.

"Hello again. What I stated before still holds Mister Tsuin. I do not come seeking a fight."

Miss Tsuin blinked at the red head before her eyes blinked up at her brother. Her brother seething like a lit match and her hero red head keeping on the same blasé smile that he bore on his face on her first day here. "You two have met?" She asked uncertainly, mostly looking at her brother in worry. "I don't want any trouble brother. Mister…uh…. Well he saved me yesterday…when you were at…the general hospital…."

Her brother's eyes snapped from his sister speaking back to where the red head sat, still giving his little smile at the dark boy. "Saved you from what? A danger he placed himself? Come, sister," the brother paused after the word as he looked at his sister. A sharp glance over to the red head was tense and clearly sent the message across that he was still watching out for any trouble from one Shuichi Minamino. "Sit back here."

And with a confused look of the sister from one boy to the other, she was gently motioned forward by her brother as he led her to the back of the room, away from the red head. The said red head took notice of the leg's lack of limp and felt a sudden dread flash past, reason uncertain. "Brother. I am quite all right. Red…." Shuichi Minamino could feel her glance at the back of his head. "Red…is quite all right too. Did you two…met off badly or….?"

"That 'Red' is not 'quite all right'!" The brother snapped back quietly under his breath that would have gone unnoticed by any other member of the classroom but the one in question. "He says 'Child King' as if knowing that Spirit World is ran by Enma Jr! And you know the only people that use 'Child King' as a description of Koenma, don't you?"

There was a silence from the two; the girl being quite unwilling to come to the facts her brother was lying down for her on the table. How could the one whom was so kind to help her, so polite, such a serious young red head yesterday be a demon waiting to capture her once more? Shuichi strained his ears as the dark boy whispered in lower terms to his sister.

"Demons Yukina. That 'Red' is no friend. He's a foe. Face it before history repeats itself."

Shuichi Minamino dropped off from listening any farther, due to their stopped conversation from the teacher walking inside the classroom to start another day of education to his students. None were listening all too well. His blank smile that had been held up for the dark boy fell from his face quickly, without thought. Rapping his sharp number two pencil on the desktop, he felt for the dark boy behind him to feel the smothered blaze of a high potent energy level raised up around the area where dark boy sat at. Next to him was the softened sweet glow of his sisters, a much more gentler nature to it. Just my luck, Shuichi Minamino thought quietly. I, Yoko Kurama, have the pleasure of dealing with _this_. Feeling a smooth skin of a dragon rub up against his mind, Shuichi Minamino pushed it out quickly, fearing the damage that might have been done already in that glanced over, top layer stray mind thought.

So…our dark buddy was a mind reader eh? Shuichi Minamino narrowed his green eyes. I believe some herbs to blind that power should be in order…. And then, straight back to research work for his mother.


	4. Enlightenment

_Silverwing013: Warning! Darker side of author approaching! Take heed! It never did belong to this author but for now...it is in my hands. Walk onward with direct care to the burning coals beneath your open hearts readers. Treading through life never is easy at some point on the path._

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**Enlightenment **

Shuichi Minamino strolled his way across the library, the fellow top student Kaito, looking at the top student in disbelief as the red head made his way to a table inside the library. Shuichi Minamino gave a quick polite smile at the confused Kaito but snickered at the boy inside his mind. Kaito's reaction wasn't the only one to snicker at in there either, as the librarian came by and did a double take at the library books piled up on the red head's table in the library.

"Mister Minamino," she whispered in a stunned voice. Her voice soon failed her as confused eyes darted back and forth between the top of the class student and the book he held openly out on the top of the table. She leaned closer, eyeing him with the question as she gave a smart tap on the small pile of six books nearby.

"Good afternoon Scieszka," Shuichi Minamino beamed up at her politely. "Extra credit study project for Mister Wakabayashi…. I simply chose treasured objects in that area to look up."

She peered down at the books. "Ah, Mister Wakabayashi's class. I never knew that you took that class Mister Minamino. Two on the Forlorn Hope," she picked the top book up for the title after a glance at the one the red head was reading already. "Two on the Burning Sunstone." She picked up the following two from the stack. "One on Spirit World areas, another on Demon World areas…. Why those two?" She looked up in question for the answer the red head would provide.

"Places where those two are said to be. I might as well educate myself on everything about them after all," Shuichi Minamino answered easily knowing it was not a lie of what he said in that last sentence.

Scieszka smiled down at the red head politely. "And the thick herb book?" That question was asked on the sly, spoken quieter than the rest of her conversation. The red head smiled less than guiltily up at the librarian. She knew of his draw toward gardening and plants, he asking her to please not mention it to many for the cost of him appearing more like a pretty boy, too feminine for his own good with their nice school uniform already. She had been under complete understanding, but took interest when the red head sneaked a gardening book inside his schoolwork stack because she herself was a gardener; mere novice to Shuichi Minamino but her interest in the art was pure and could provide help with her being prone to read things that he may not of run across.

"Looking up useful plants to grow in my garden," the red head spoke back nearly as quietly. "Heard of any good ones in all these books Scieszka?"

"Plenty under that subject!" She whispered back excitedly. "I have quite a few of parsley and rosemary in my herb section at my apartment! Did you know parsley is a form of vitamin A and C as well as iron?" Shuichi nodded politely. He knew what only seemed but a few of what he researched of this world's plant types, this fact on parsley being one of the few he knew already. "Or that my rosemary's oil from its leaves is used in medicine?" The red head raised an eyebrow, tucking this tidbit of information for later research of the book at hand. Scieszka smiled eagerly, knowing that she had spoken something worthwhile to a fellow plant lover and continued on with barely contained excitement in her eyes. "Or that today's popular herb of mint has been used for a number of such things in the past?"

She waited obviously wanting to show off her librarian research skills in this particular area of expertise. Shuichi Minamino shook his head slightly, tilting in to the side in interest. He only knew mostly of the current uses. Perhaps Scieszka will be of use of her knowledge once more to him, like the day after him hearing about his mother in the hospital of whipping up several herbs together to fix the ailing of his headache (heartache is what she called it) that she saw on his true worried face among the peerless rows of books. He smiled slightly in remembrance at their first true small talk of their joy in the plant world. He knew more on the Demon World ones from experience, though he claimed the knowledge from books in other libraries; and she knew quite more than he did on the Human World plants from her pure pleasure of reading about them as well as planting as many as she could in what she said was a meager apartment room.

"Greek athletes used bruised mint leaves as an after-bath lotion. And then in the Middle Ages, mint was important as a cleaning agent and later was used to purify drinking water that had turned stale on their long ocean voyages. It has also been given mystical powers in being used to neutralize the "evil eye" and to also produce an aggressive character. Mint can be more than what people realize," Scieszka said with a grin tapping the last book of his stack. "Didn't know those ones before, did you Mister Minamino?"

He smiled at the librarian, shaking his head. "No I didn't. But did you know that the Shokuyo Shokubutsu, otherwise known in the Demon Realm as an Apparition-Eating Plant, is like a giant redwood" (he had picked this tall American based tree up from Scieszka herself and she smiled a bit at his quickly picking up the knowledge and using it) "carnivorous tree with acidic saliva that strikes anything that moves?" He eyed her detest at this fact and allowed himself a small chuckle. "Not one you'd like to see anytime soon if I'm correct. But most people don't know that it doesn't harm one if you have a strong base to neutralize it, forming not a plant to eat you but a plant that grows oil in its leaves that would heal any apparition and being from nearly any toxic plant poisons that would harm them otherwise." And a darn pity of a waste since his mother's sickness was not derived from a plant for he had already attempted slipping the oil inside her glass of water one time to see if results would occur after a week of the doctors fuddling around.

Scieszka smiled at the happier note of this plant's usage, replacing his stack of books back how they were as she strolled back up to the front desk for the awaiting Kaito whom had stood waiting for her for the past while. Shuichi Minamino went back to his research, not for any class but one for his mother's life. _'The Forlorn Hope has been falsely named for all the hope it had caused from it's first use from Ramakuju Himiharu back when the first four worlds were born to save his son from the fate of Prince Enma the second, when at this time the Prince was in charge of the children souls passing to the Spirit World. Himiharu lived through the Forlorn Hope's granted wish through what he is quoted of saying, _"The Forlorn Hope is made a forlorn hope when there is no one to share the hope. The shared hope is the one most powerful, like the ten second bond formed of children when their shared wish is to play a fun game together even if they may never met each other again. This is what you [King Enma the First, whom questioned Himiharu about the Forlorn Hope] need to have when you invoke my mirror."_ To this day after countless times, not one soul has survived the mirror to have the hope wished upon to see the hope come alive, and as each soul passed from the Forlorn Hope's 'good graces', not one of the souls hope came alive after the granting.' _

Shuichi Minamino puzzled over the creator's words to the ancient Spirit World ruler. There was a truth hidden inside that quote somewhere. More was behind the words of thi-- The red head's thought was sliced in half as a half hearted and dying buzzing noise cut through his train of thought. A thin wisp-like bug made his way across the air slowly, obviously far from the rest of his hive to become this weak, painstakingly making its way toward Scieszka, the female librarian oblivious to the creature as she handed back Kaito's checked out books to the boy with a rapturous smile as she did so. Shuichi Minanimo sat up, pushing his chair back in a fluid motion as he did so, starting for the creature that had finally landed on the librarian's shoulder and was eagerly inching its way up to her ear. This type of creatures shouldn't be in Human World! Humans cannot even see these low life creatures to protect themselves from the unseen and untold trouble.

"Stop that indecent worry over humans. They are below you Yoko," spoke out a sharp voice from up above. "Even below the low life demons you wish to protect them from."

The red head snapped his head to the shelf behind him from wince the voice came, spotting the Mister Tsuin standing with his full (and short but that wasn't to be pointed out to the said dark boy) height on the very top of the tall shelf. His eyes narrowed at the dark boy that he had not noticed his presence until this moment. Had Mister Tsuin been standing there the whole time watching him for any trouble against his sister, Miss Tsuin? No, dark boy's energy was quite noticeable to the red head even as he was cloaking it at this moment.

Dark boy smirked upon the red head from above. "I should have placed you on my team if I had known the great King of Thieves had even stolen his way past death."

Shuichi Minamino scowled ferociously, scanning his thoughts for any feel of the dragon skin touch of dark boy's mind reading. His defenses were still in firm hold from placing them up this morning. He turned from dark boy sharply. I'll deal with him later, he promised to himself, but now I have worried curiosity to quench over Demon World's insects living well inside the Human World. There was no need to do so. He blinked as Miss Tsuin made small chat with Scieszka with her usual breaks and pauses, her taking the chance to brush off the bug easily in pretense of removing an unseen speck of dirt that many women saw upon their clothes. Ending the chatter, Scieszka returned to her librarian work as Shuichi noticed that she wove her way over to the plant books as usual when a student did not need her. Miss Tsuin watched the librarian turn down a row of shelves, leaning over to pick up the bug struggling to stand upright on the library's floored carpet. At the same time, Shuichi Minamino noticed dark boy's energy flash over to her side so that the two of them could observe the creature more easily. Humans do not move this fast. He strained his higher than normal hearing to overhear what the two siblings were noting about this Demon World insect.

"Hiei?" Said Miss Tsuin questionably to her brother. Shuichi Minamino raised an eyebrow at the name, recognizing it from the Demon Realm as one not to be trifled with from his implanted third eye. This boy was the wielder of the "evil eye". Thank you Scieszka, Shuichi Minamino praised the librarian for her meters of knowledge of Human World plants and their histories. "Do you think that the four Saint Beasts…have finally gone upon their word to attack Human World…so that they may enter he—"

"Yes Yukina, I do." The sister was interrupted the dark boy's sharp reply. "The only question is if Koenma will throw that egotistical, fights on pure luck newbie spirit detective on a case this important. Chances are that there is more passing through, making their way toward that idiot boy's energy since he and that oaf do not know how to cloak theirs."

Miss Tsuin paused as she poked at the insect lying on the point of death without a host or proper environment. She bit her lip slightly, looking up at her brother. "But you have the fighter's experience…."

The dark boy's eyes narrowed. "That's exactly what I'm hoping he won't do. I've managed out from working directly with those two with your rescue. Demon World is my home, not this ridiculous place."

"But…would that not mean that Demon World would change?"

The boy held his peace, not chancing it to speak as his sister continued.

"I like this place brother. Kazuma is funny and even you can't help by being attracted to Yusuke's fighter personality and then there is Genkai. Was it not your job to protect me brother? These insects could swarm even Genkai given enough of them along with time to wear even her down. And I live up there," she said pointedly. Shuichi Minamino blinked slightly, twitching his ear to fix his listening vantage point. That was the surest he had ever heard Miss Tsuin speak.

The boy's brow twitched and Shuichi sensed an inner conflict occurring. "Please Yukina. Under all contexts we know that the title of brother…is not mine to hold. I will tell Koenma about this," he told her as her face lit up at his thought of kindness toward not only her but to warn Spirit World about this in advance. The dark boy sighed, carefully taking the nearly dead insect from Miss Tsuin to pocket it inside his long black-cloaked pocket. "But I would rather go through my sentence than work in close premises with that oaf. And Koenma would need more than his newbie detective and that battered carrot topped fool to take on all four Saint Beasts."

"Red would do it," Miss Tsuin spoke rather quicker than her polite nature.

"No." Dark boy shook his head. "That boy is now proven himself even more untrustworthy than bef—"

"That sweet boy you are talking about…has proven himself to be a nice boy, I trust Red if my life were…seconds away from being mobbed over from a large crowd." Miss Tsuin looked definite at her brother. She paused, turning her eyes away from her brother as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I know…that…you met up badly with him, but you should give him a second chance Hiei. I did not want to trust any one up here at first and he…he showed the first kindness I've seen here. The rest have said…that they only like me because of the fact…of me being kidnapped before."

Okay, Shuichi Minamino thought as their conversation slowly continued for a few more scarce seconds. He slunk away, hands carrying books with him, ears ticking back as he heard from safe distance the words from dark boy's mouth. "Hey, Yukina? Did you notice when your 'Red' left?" Shuichi Minamino smiled quietly to himself. He hadn't lost all of his touch after all. Now, to find some mint for dark boy just in case Miss Tsuin did not change his mind. And then…back to his library books for research. After all, mother's health was top priority and he did not want any disruptions from anything or anyone else.

Note, was the sudden ring through Shuichi's mind. Find Mister Endo.


	5. Threat

_Silverwing013: Warning! Darker side of author approaching! Take heed! It never did belong to this author but for now...it is in my hands. Walk onward with direct care to the burning coals beneath your open hearts readers. Treading through life never is easy at some point on the path._

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**Threat**

The red head lay in wait at the base of the tree just outside the schoolyard. He had good reasoning for waiting for dark boy in this place. With that "evil eye", dark boy would like to be as high as possible to see farther outward. His small body was just the perfect mark of someone Shuichi would mark as being able to leap from tree limb to tree limb with insanely utter ease. Dark boy had already proven himself to avoid the crowds and nearly everyone knew that no one looked upwards as well as not doing it him or herself with the knowledge. Also, Mister Tsuin practically leaked out the scent from being up there so much. He could not possibly cover or cloak up that one and the simpering fan girls had noticed the light lumberjack smell following dark boy throughout the day.

And the reason behind him waiting after all other students had? From that conversation with his sister, dark boy seemed to dislike large crowds. And his sister had been nearly mobbed over just the other day. Nearly. Why had he saved her in the fir--. Ah ha, he thought pleased with a small smirk creasing across his lips. I knew it, he thought satisfied.

Dark boy's cloaked over energy had flickered up to the tree above him, Miss Tsuin walking out of the schoolyard through the gates and on the sidewalk. He hated having to do this if she was present. She had such a polite nature around her, a nice caring nature that liked helping and healing people. Shuichi Minamino leaped up with grace to the second tree limb from the ground as soon as dark boy fluttered over to the next tree in line.

I must do this quickly, Shuichi thought fingering the mint leaf hidden inside his pocket.

Just a quick touch of the mint leaf to his "evil eye" should clear me for a week…perhaps I should stash the leaf under his bandana so that the effects are longer…. Shuichi Minamino toyed with the idea briefly deciding that the extra time might be useful so that he could place more time in his research and did not have to do this at the end of every week to dark boy. That could prove difficult since it seemed dark boy was a seasoned fighter, readying himself to what could be the next attack of mint leaf to his eye.

Silently with underlying years of experience inside his mind, Shuichi Minamino leapt in time with dark boy's jumps so that his presence went unnoticed by the said dark boy. Fortunately, Shuichi could cloak his energy much, much better than dark boy's with the hiding of his energy for all of his human life so that he went unnoticed by Spirit World. Dark boy stopped and Shuichi followed his example, shifting over to the side in one graceful step. The tree trunk bulked up and hid Shuichi Minimino's body well from dark boy's sight.

"…Hn?"

Dark boy turned slightly as he muttered to himself, glancing not where Shuichi laid hiding but where his sister was walking below. Shrugging to himself, dark boy leaped onward, Shuichi leapt following the dark boy. Two huge quickened leaps brought him right beside dark boy, his grace saving him from dark boy noticing any change of the tree limb's weight gain. Quickly and quietly, he slipped an arm around dark boy's chest including his arms if he so chose to struggle and at the same moment he wrapped his leg loosely but tightly right below dark boy's knees so that his kicks would not do any slight or not so slight damage. Dark boy's head whipped around to look at the person holding him the minute he noticed, allowing Shuichi an easier time to slip his other hand over dark boy's mouth before any warning could be rang out to his sister.

"A warning," he muttered evenly inside dark boy's ear. The hand that covered dark boy's mouth spared two fingers and flicked the mint leaf closely for the two red eyes to be seen. Dark boy suddenly tensed, eyes wide at the insinuation being placed inside this plant, finally starting to struggle against Shuichi's grip. Keeping balance on his one foot, Shuichi tightened his hold around both types of dark boy's limbs, arms and legs. A light purple glow emanated from under the white bandana and Shuichi could hear dark boy swearing at him from inside his mind as well as feeling the strain of dark boy's one arm starting to take a life of its own.

It did not escape Shuichi Minamino's memory of what exactly lay under that particular arm.

Shuichi removed the mint leaf from dark boy's sight, noticing the red eyes following it as it disappeared. He also took notice of the slightly less struggle dark boy was putting up, knowing full well that dark boy was thinking it was just a warning of how well Shuichi could defeat him if he so choose to do so. Pity that if was not going to be the good case today for dark boy.

"I believe you and I have an understanding," Shuichi muttered inside the earlobe, his eyes flicking back down to the sister still walking along the sidewalk. The entire encounter had thus far gone unnoticed from Miss Tsuin, who continued walking beneath the line of trees. He slowly relaxed his hold on dark boy, not nearly enough for Mister Tsuin to escape from his hold but enough for him to relax and be lured into a false sense of security.

"And so that you remember the warning young Jaganshi…."

Shuichi drew out his past experience of stealing and thievery to nimbly slip the mint leaf neatly under the bandana. Quickly he released the frazzled dark boy whom crashed from the tree thrashing around about the ground, leaping back through the line of trees to take hiding down to the next block down. Even with his excellent hearing, Shuichi Minamino could hear the screams of the torture and pain from that far. He smiled grim like to himself. Now…back to his mother's side at the hospital bed.


	6. Scream

_Silverwing013: Warning! Darker side of author approaching! Take heed! It never did belong to this author but for now...it is in my hands. Walk onward with direct care to the burning coals beneath your open hearts readers. Treading through life never is easy at some point on the path._

**Scream**

"Hell!" A sleeping teenage boy in the back of his school's classroom shot up, frantically looking around the area as well as out the window. After a quick search around for what had awoken him, the boy shoved two hands for each ear up to his head, pressing hard as humanly possible. He shook his head fiercely as he kept his palms flat over his ears. Jerking up, his chair clattered behind him forgotten in the pain.

Life tearing screaming pain ripped through his head with a velocity and speed not known to the typical man. The typical man may we remind you.

"CAN'T FUCKING SEE! THAT FUCKING FOX! CAN'T SEE YUKINA! WHERE THE HELL IS MY SISTER? AHHH! WHAT DID THAT FOX DO? GLUE THE DAMN MINT LEAF TO MY FUCKING HEAD! CAN'T GET THE DAMN THING OFF! WHERE IS SHE? YUKINA? YUKINA!"

He blinked suddenly, slowly releasing his hands from the sides of his head as the voice and screaming came to a sudden halt. The boy sighed in relief from the pain gone, coming to the realization that the teacher was demanding his attention from the front of the class. Stupid teachers. The boy gazed dully at the teacher yelling at him, not paying the slightest attention as he ran a hand through his gelled back hair. The tale-tail sign of his 'punk' status that not many approved of although it had been moved up in approval rating lately by what he called the little annoying toddler…but who was he to care about some binky sucking dude's opinion of his value.

He blew out in a huff. Hiei was the most suited for watching over Yukina and something had obviously happened to change that. Now he would have to…. Damn! The boy weaved his way quickly around the desks. Someone had attacked Hiei! Leaving Yukina plenty unprotected! A tight grip around the boy's forearm caused him to jerk to a stop in his plans of leaving.

"Mister Urameshi. It is one thing to disrupt a class with such a call but to then leave the classroom while I am still speaking to y—"

"Sorry Mister Take but my world doesn't revolve around the 'proper' education," the boy said as he twisted the teacher's grip off of his arm easily.

"That's Mister Takenaka to you Yusuke!" The teacher told the boy loudly as the teen raced down the school's hallway.

Yusuke ignored the old teacher, exiting the school quickly as he ran at a speed that would make the world-class sprinter become jealous over not to mention how long he ran at the sprint. Damn it, he thought madly. Who in the hell was strong enough to beat Hiei in Human World besides him? Yusuke couldn't feel any lurking high charged power around any part of this area and Kuwabara couldn't feel anything else at their levels. Whoever it was that Hiei called 'fox' was probably sneaky as hell day in and day out to cause Kuwabara not to notice their spirit energy.

The boy skid to a halt as he nearly ran past who he was looking for. "Yukina," he breathed in a sigh of relief. She didn't even give him a glance as she motioned for him to come closer. He looked down to see what she was looking at, gently moving her hands over what it was. "Holy cheese on…. Who did this to Hiei?" He bent down next to her, eyeing over the fire demon on parole to figure out what had happened to cause this.

"I…I…I…I…." Yukina wrung her hands together and bit her lip as her jaw started quivering. Her eyes shook and a gem found its way to the grass below. "I…I…I don't know Yusuke…. We were just…walking…Hiei was up…in the trees…for a better view…. And then he just…fell…." Yukina started shaking as two more gems plopped onto the earth below. "Screaming in pain…I…I couldn't do anything…and he was thrashing around…but now…."

But now her protector was lying there dead-like. Yusuke soothed her pain as he rubbed and patted her back gently with some uncertainty on how to comfort her. Running his hand through his gelled back hair once more, Yusuke peered carefully around Hiei's head, yet failed to see what Hiei had to have been screaming about when he had politely interrupted his classroom naptime. He could not spot one thing out of place. Where was that leaf Hiei was screaming about on his head? And, Yusuke thought with a scratch to his own head, what was the huge deal with the stinky leaf? Still…he felt like he must find if there was a leaf in the first place in order to figure out what to do next. Moving himself around the shaking Yukina, he ran his hand through the height challenged boy's gravity defying hair to find nothing. Leaning back on his haunches, Yusuke pondered on the problem at hand.

"So they attacked Hiei and ran?"

Yukina nodded briefly she checked under Hiei's shirt to see where the damage had been done if she could fix it. "But where did they injure Hiei…?" She was finding it impossible to find where her protector posing as a brother had been injured. Somehow, somehow she knew that it was all her fault somehow. Just somehow. Her hand shook slightly as she thought of the guilt. Hiei was with me when he was attacked…it's because of me somehow, she thought sadly.

"Dunno. They got me plenty confused. Like, why didn't they attack Hiei, grab you, and then run? That would make sense. Why only attack Hiei?" Yusuke slipped his hand under Hiei's bandana before jerking his hand back. "That hurt!" He sucked on a few of his stinging fingertips to ease the pain of the redness, eyeballing the angry pulsing violet eye from beneath the white cloth. Carefully, he inched his fingers back under the cloth, to tug a stuck object out from under it. Pulling the object in front of his face as it came free; he dropped it quickly from the evil eye's presence still fighting against it. He and Yukina starred down as one at the crackling leaf lying on the ground with purple sparks flying from it with a sudden snap at the world around it.

"Alright. Whoever this fox is that Hiei mentioned in his head knows his plants and the damage it can do. Wish he shared this tip with me when I fought the little troublemaker," Yusuke commented almost cheerfully in his own way to perk up the girl beside him.

Yukina carefully slipped the bandana from Hiei's forehead, gasping in silent shock as she saw that the evil eye had disappeared from view to have an oval of green instead, blocking the abilities of his evil eye. "His evil eye…!" Yukina whispered out. "What happened to it? Yusuke?"

"I don't know. This guy must really know his shi- his stuff about plants though," Yusuke said half impressed. "Don't worry Yukina. Genkai will probably know, heck knows she's old enough." Yukina nodded, hurrying beside Yusuke as he carried Hiei along.

Somehow, just somehow, she knew it was all her fault.


End file.
